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Novice Internet surfers are eager to explore World Wide Web known for researching, shopping, communicating and enjoying the media. And then there are evil waiting to trap these greenhorns and make money out of it. Identity theft, Email Spamming, Chat Room etc are some of the common traps people fall in to. But that doesn’t mean one should avoid using Internet, as today most of us keep in touch with friends, family, and locate cool places or news by Internet. One only needs to be careful while surfing Internet in order to save time and to remain at the safer side. If you are someone wanting to start your web journey then make a note of these common mistakes to avoid when surfing online.

Avoid login on third party applications which require email logins.

Avoid accessing account through any email link as it can be risky. If the email turns out to be fraudulent then cyber criminal will have access to your account information.

Avoid having single password or PINs for accessing all your online accounts, this can again lead to identity theft.

Avoid using unsafe site that does not come with term ‘https‘. The “S” stands for secure and you should always make note of it before accessing any site.

Avoid clicking on pop-ups that says “Your Pc is Insecure”, such links can have malware automatically downloaded to your PC.

Avoid downloading free stuffs such as screen saver and those stupid smiley faces. Such things are very dangerous to your PC and you will soon notice it has turned slow then earlier. Sites like download.com are safe to use.

Be careful with those phishing mails, they may create a sense of urgency as “Your Account is in Risk” or an “Unauthorized transaction has taken place” so send your account details. Remember any bank will not ask your account detail via mail.

Make sure you always have updated antivirus software in place.

Always check with your bank if they have any additional security for your online transactions, such as IPIN’s or Zero liability card.

Always have your CC details save in real world. Do not share it with anybody via sending mails or over even on telephone.

Never forget to delete the system’s cache, passwords or history, it could easily lead to identity theft and stolen bank and email information.

You have won a lottery and or an IPod are the common terms used by spammers to trap you, avoid falling to such traps.

Always blacklist the spammers you come across in mails without just deleting the spam mails.

Don’t ever click on the Close window without logging of your account especially if you are at cybercafé for accessing Internet then you are more at risk.

Always have a back up for your emails just as how you keep a hard copy of your important docs and other things.

Avoid believing in those brainless “Microsoft Is Sharing Its Fortune” kind of mail, they are just spammers requiring your details to trouble you more.

Always have a habit of not clicking on phishing email, the goal of phisher is to fool you for entering your details into something that actually appears to be safe and secure, but in reality is just a fake site set up by the scammer.

Avoid giving your full name, home address, phone number, Social Security number, passwords, names of family members, credit card numbers online. Best is to remain anonymous and enjoy surfing

Never forget to scan the attachment you receive in your mail box. Virus attacks are mostly through such attachments.

Social networking sites are something we cannot avoid these days, yet it is always secure to follow known person on Twitter or to add on Facebook. Don’t forget to do security check if you tend to add unknown person.

This article intends to offer you basic information on how you can be safe on Internet and enjoy surfing through it. We certainly don’t deserve to face problems when using Internet, so you just require knowing where the pitfalls are, use some common sense and caution, and you are safe. Good Luck!